Carol Stephenson

Biography

Dr. Carol Stephenson joined the University of Northumbria in 2001 having previously worked at the University of Sunderland and now is Programme Director and Principal Lecturer in Sociology.
ADSS Carolstephenson Staffprofile 255Carol joined the University of Northumbria in 2001 having previously worked at the University of Sunderland. Prior to teaching and researching in Higher Education she worked as a researcher in a wide range of settings; in the National Health Service, in Community Development settings in the West End of Newcastle and in the former mining community of Ashington in Northumberland; within the trade union movement for TUSIU (The Trade Union Studies Information Unit).
Born and brought up in the North East of England in the steel community of Consett, Co. Durham, Carol's research interests and questions are shaped by biographical experience and biographical research strategies have defined her approach to research.

Research Interest

Social class; work and employment; mining and mining communities 'post industrial' communities, gender and class inequality; biographical research methodologies
Carol's research has had two inter-related foci:
(A) The regeneration and transformation of mining communities following de-industrialization. This work explores how community and union activists are seeking to maintain occupational and class identity despite mine closure. It explores activists' attempts to stimulate/reproduce a collective memory of occupational heritage in order to stimulate the regeneration of depressed communities. This has led to collaborative and comparative work with other institutions, most notably St Mary's University, Nova Scotia, Canada. A British Academy Grant was awarded to support this research in 2003 and a second stage of field research was carried out in Cape Breton, June 2005.
(B) An exploration of the life narratives and legacies of women active in the 1984/5 Miners' Strike with Jean Spence (University of Durham) and Monica Shaw (Northumbria University). Research focus on life-history, motivation, politicization and activism in the years prior to and following the dispute.
Carol is currently working with Jamie Harding (Northumbria University) on a staff/student collaborative project into effective small group/seminar work.